Madam Speaker and hon members, the answer to the question is: Crime is one of the government's major focus areas. Its importance is not just in reference to Asgisa, but it is an overarching challenge that the government is focussed on, and therefore we do not have to regard it and to include it as necessarily one of the bounding constrains. The fight against crime has to intensify whether there is Asgisa or not.
As already announced, some of the measures that are to be instituted in this regard will include the increase of the police officers, as was announced by the President; the augmentation of the ICT-based forensic science laboratory for processing DNA by the establishment of another facility in the Western Cape; and the capacity of the intelligence division of the police which is being increased, both in terms of the number of officers and in terms of enabling technical infrastructure. The cluster intends to sustain measures intended to arrest and prosecute repeat offenders, particularly those responsible for serious and violent crimes.
Similarly, the operations to prevent crime in the places and at times when it mostly occurs will be sustained. In this regard, the government particularly wants to massively reduce house burglaries. It is in this particular time that terror visits most people, the sense of insecurity that people feel in their homes. These are the few areas that I am mentioning in which we intend to intensify crime prevention. Of course, the list of our interventions is longer. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, this is Asgisa and economic development. The Deputy President does not recognise crime as a barrier to economic development. So, the hon Deputy President, therefore, does not agree that crime is a barrier to Asgisa, despite the fact that South Africa's murder rate is eight times higher that the world's average.
Does this mean that the government accepts that 18 000 murders per annum is reasonable, despite the fact that many of those murdered were highly skilled people contributing to our economy? Is the hon Deputy President not in agreement that the unacceptably high crime rate plays a role in the brain drain, taking into account the shortage of skill in South Africa, and that crime also limits foreign investments and foreign capital that contribute to South Africa's economic development?
Madam Speaker, I will not dignify this with an answer. I have said that the crime prevention measures are overarching. Whether there was Asgisa or not, we would have to do this job, because it is one of the basic services that we have to provide to our citizens. So, we do not have to repeat in Asgisa something that we have to do and are doing anyway. We just need to do it better. [Applause.]
Somlomo, mhlonishwa Phini likaMongameli, uma kuthiwa ukufakwa kwezimboni kungase kuncishiswe ngukuthi mhlawumbe ubugebengu bandile ezweni, ngabe umhlonishwa uyakuvuma yini lokho ngoba mina bengicabanga ukuthi phela ukusebenza kwezokuphepha kufanele ngabe kuyithinta yonke iMinyango? Manje indlela ababuza ngayo laba bafowethu, kuzwakala sengathi umhlonishwa uyakuvuma ukuthi ubugebengu lobu obenziwayo ezweni bukhulile. Uma ekuvuma ethi bukhulile, lokho akuzukuyithinta yini imicabango yalaba abafuna ukufaka izimboni kuleli zwe? Uma ngabe kuvunywa uwena mhlonishwa, ngeke kusuke kubakhinyabeze yini na?
IPHINI LIKAMONGAMELI: Konje oNdlovu bangoGatsheni, oBoya benyathi?
AMALUNGU AHLONIPHEKILE: Yebo!
IPHINI LIKAMONGAMELI: Ngiyezwa. Angizange ngisho ukuthi ngiyazivuna izigebengu. UNgqongqoshe ongasekho, uMnu Tshwete, wayevame ukuthi, "Izigebengu zizoxakana nathi njengoba ithambo lixakana nenja." Nayo-ke nje into esifuna ukulwa nayo. Ukuthi le nto ifakwa ku-Asgisa noma uyifaka kwi- JCPS, lokho sekuyimininingwane. Into ebalulekile ukuthi makuliwe nobugebengu.
Maqondana nombuzo othi ubugebengu bunayo yini indlela yokunciphisa ukutshalwa kwezimali, yizo zonke izinto lezo esiziqaphile. Noma ngabe bekungenzeki lokho, kubalulekile ukuthi ubugebengu makuliwe nabo ngqo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.) [Mr V B NDLOVU: Chairperson, hon Deputy President, when there is talk that investments might decrease owing to the crime level which is too high, does the hon Deputy President agree with that, because personally, I think that the question of safety should concern all departments? And the way these brothers ask questions; it sounds like the Deputy President admits that crime has increased in this country. If the Deputy President admits that crime is on the increase, is that not going to be a matter of concern to those who want to invest in this country? If you, the hon Deputy President, admit this, is that not going to scare investors?
By the way, the Ndlovus are also known as Gatsheni, Boya benyathi?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
I understand. I have never said that I am partial towards criminals. The late Minister, Mr Tshwete, used to say: "The criminals will fight us like a dog fighting for its bone because we give them such a hard time." And that is the thing that we want to fight against. Whether it is Asgisa or JCPS, is just a detail. The most important thing is to fight crime.
With regard to whether crime has an impact on decreasing investments, those are the things that we are looking at. Even if that was not happening, it is still important to fight crime head-on. [Applause.]]
Ndiyabulela Sekela Mongameli, uchan'ucwethe Mamlambo njengokuba sele ubonisile ukubaluleka kwentsebenziswano phakathi koluntu ngokubanzikunye norhulumente ngokulwisana nobundlobongela, uhambe emazwini ebethethwa nguMongameli kwintetho yakhe yovulo lwePalamente ebonisa ukubaluleka kodibana kwethu sisilwa nobu bundlobongela. Ngoko ke andizi kubuza mbuzo kuwe. Ndiza kuthi nje kuwe, mazenethole! (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mrs M M SOTYU: I thank you, Deputy President, you have hit the nail on the right place, Mrs Mlambo. You have shown us why there should be co-operation between communities and the government in crime prevention. This is exactly what the President said in his speech during the opening of Parliament. I am, therefore, not going to ask you any question other than to say, well done!]
Phini likaMongameli, hhayi-ke useyivalile. [Well, Deputy President, there you are, she has closed it.]
Access to water, sanitation and electricity
3. Mr A M Mpontshane (IFP) asked the Deputy President:
Whether the Government has any programmes in place to meet its targets regarding access to water, sanitation and electricity?